Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change and Amendment No. 1 Thereto Relating to the Listing and Trading of Shares of the NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse Convertible Index Fund Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), 64153-64160 [2012-25598]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Notices
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room on official business
days between the hours of 10:00 a.m.
and 3:00 p.m. Copies of such filing also
will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal offices of the
Exchange. All comments received will
be posted without change; the
Commission does not edit personal
identifying information from
submissions. You should submit only
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
should refer to File Number SR–BX–
2012–067, and should be submitted on
or before November 8, 2012.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.7
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012–25653 Filed 10–17–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–68043; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2012–108]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed
Rule Change and Amendment No. 1
Thereto Relating to the Listing and
Trading of Shares of the NYSE Arca
U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse
Convertible Index Fund Under NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)
October 12, 2012.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Act’’
or ‘‘Exchange Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4
thereunder,2 notice is hereby given that,
on September 27, 2012, NYSE Arca, Inc.
(‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘NYSE Arca’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the Exchange.
On October 2, 2012, the Exchange
submitted Amendment No. 1 to the
proposed rule change.3 The Commission
7 17
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b–4.
3 In Amendment No. 1, the Exchange amended
the filing to specify that a list of components of the
Index (as defined below), with percentage
weightings, will be available on the Exchange’s Web
site, and that the Exchange may halt trading in the
Shares (as defined below) if the Index value, or the
1 15
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Jkt 229001
is publishing this notice to solicit
comments on the proposed rule change
from interested persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares of the following issue under
Commentary .01 to NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 5.2(j)(3) (‘‘Investment Company
Units’’): NYSE Arca U.S. Equity
Synthetic Reverse Convertible Index
Fund. The text of the proposed rule
change is available on the Exchange’s
Web site at www.nyse.com, at the
principal office of the Exchange, and at
the Commission’s Public Reference
Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares (‘‘Shares’’) of the NYSE
Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse
Convertible Index Fund (‘‘Fund’’) under
Commentary .01 to NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 5.2(j)(3), which governs the listing
and trading of Investment Company
Units.4 The Shares will be issued by the
ALPS ETF Trust (‘‘Trust’’). ALPS
Advisors, Inc. will be the Fund’s
investment adviser (‘‘Adviser’’), and
Rich Investment Solutions, LLC, will be
the Fund’s investment sub-adviser
(‘‘Sub-Adviser’’).5 The Bank of New
value of the components of the Index, is not
available or not disseminated as required.
4 NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)(A) provides
that an Investment Company Unit is a security that
represents an interest in a registered investment
company that holds securities comprising, or
otherwise based on or representing an interest in,
an index or portfolio of securities (or holds
securities in another registered investment
company that holds securities comprising, or
otherwise based on or representing an interest in,
an index or portfolio of securities).
5 An investment adviser to an open-end fund is
required to be registered under the Investment
PO 00000
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64153
York Mellon (‘‘BNY’’) will serve as
custodian, Fund accounting agent, and
transfer agent for the Fund. ALPS
Distributors, Inc. will be the Fund’s
distributor (‘‘Distributor’’).6
The Adviser is affiliated with a
broker-dealer and will implement and
maintain procedures designed to
prevent the use and dissemination of
material, non-public information
regarding the Fund’s portfolio. The SubAdviser is not affiliated with a brokerdealer. In the event (a) the Sub-Adviser
becomes newly affiliated with a brokerdealer, or (b) any new adviser or subadviser becomes affiliated with a brokerdealer, it will implement a fire wall and
maintain procedures designed to
prevent the use and dissemination of
material, non-public information
regarding the Fund’s portfolio.
NYSE Arca will be the ‘‘Index
Provider’’ for the Fund. NYSE Arca is
not affiliated with the Trust, the
Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or the
Distributor. NYSE Arca is affiliated with
a broker-dealer and will implement a
fire wall and maintain procedures
designed to prevent the use and
dissemination of material, non-public
information regarding the Index.
Advisers Act of 1940 (‘‘Advisers Act’’). As a result,
the Adviser and Sub-Adviser and their related
personnel are subject to the provisions of Rule
204A–1 under the Advisers Act relating to codes of
ethics. This Rule requires investment advisers to
adopt a code of ethics that reflects the fiduciary
nature of the relationship to clients as well as
compliance with other applicable securities laws.
Accordingly, procedures designed to prevent the
communication and misuse of non-public
information by an investment adviser must be
consistent with Rule 204A–1 under the Advisers
Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)–7 under the Advisers
Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to
provide investment advice to clients unless such
investment adviser has (i) adopted and
implemented written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the
investment adviser and its supervised persons, of
the Advisers Act and the Commission rules adopted
thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an
annual review regarding the adequacy of the
policies and procedures established pursuant to
subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness of their
implementation; and (iii) designated an individual
(who is a supervised person) responsible for
administering the policies and procedures adopted
under subparagraph (i) above.
6 The Trust is registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a–1) (‘‘1940
Act’’). On June 22, 2012, the Trust filed with the
Commission an amendment to its registration
statement on Form N–1A under the Securities Act
of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a), and under the 1940 Act
relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333–148826 and
811–22175) (‘‘Registration Statement’’). The
description of the operation of the Trust and the
Fund herein is based, in part, on the Registration
Statement. In addition, the Commission has issued
an order granting certain exemptive relief to the
Trust under the 1940 Act. See Investment Company
Act Release No. 812–13430 (May 1, 2008)
(‘‘Exemptive Order’’).
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Notices
Description of the Fund
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund will seek
investment results that correspond
generally to the performance, before the
Fund’s fees and expenses, of the NYSE
Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse
Convertible Index (‘‘Index’’). The Index
reflects the performance of a portfolio
consisting of short over-the-counter
(‘‘OTC’’) put options that have been
written on 20 of the most volatile U.S.
stocks that also have market
capitalization of at least $5 billion.
In seeking to replicate, before
expenses, the performance of the Index,
the Fund will generally sell (i.e., write)
90-day OTC ‘‘down and in’’ put options,
as described below, in proportion to
their weightings in the Index on
economic terms which mirror those of
the Index. Each option written by the
Fund will be covered through
investments in three month Treasury
bills (‘‘T-bills’’) at least equal to the
Fund’s maximum liability under the
option (i.e., the strike price). The SubAdviser will seek a correlation over time
of 0.95 or better between the Fund’s
performance and the performance of the
Index. A figure of 1.00 would represent
perfect correlation.7
Index Methodology and Construction
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
According to the Registration
Statement, the Index measures the
return of a hypothetical portfolio
consisting of OTC put options which
have been written on each of 20 stocks
and a cash position calculated as
described below. The 20 stocks on
which options will be written are those
20 stocks from a selection of the largest
capitalized (over $5 billion in market
capitalization) stocks which also have
listed options and which have the
highest volatility, as determined by the
Index Provider. These stocks will be
NMS stocks as defined in Rule 600 of
Regulation NMS under the Exchange
Act.8
The options are of the type known as
‘‘down and in’’ put options. A down
and in option is a contract that becomes
a typical option (i.e., the option ‘‘knocks
in’’ at a predetermined strike price) once
the underlying stock declines to a
specified price (‘‘barrier price’’). These
7 According to the Registration Statement, while
the Fund will not invest in traditional reverse
convertible securities (i.e., those which convert into
the underlying stock), the down and in put options
written by the Fund will have the effect of exposing
the Fund to the return of reverse convertible
securities (based on equity securities) as if the Fund
owned such reverse convertible securities directly.
8 Terms relating to the Trust, the Fund, and the
Shares referred to, but not defined, herein are
defined in the Registration Statement.
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18:15 Oct 17, 2012
Jkt 229001
types of options are found in ‘‘reverse
convertible’’ securities, which convert
into the underlying stock (or settle in
cash) only upon a decline in the value
of the underlying stock rather than a rise
(as is the case with typical convertible
instruments).
According to the Registration
Statement, each option included in the
Index is a ‘‘European-style’’ option (i.e.,
an option which can only be exercised
at its expiration) with a 90-day term.
The strike prices of the option positions
included in the Index are determined
based on the closing prices of the
options’ underlying stocks as of the
beginning of each 90-day period. The
barrier price of each such option is 80%
of the strike price. At the expiration of
each 90-day period, if an underlying
stock closes at or below its respective
barrier price, a cash settlement payment
in an amount equal to the difference
between the strike price and the closing
price of the stock is deemed to be made,
and the Index value is correspondingly
reduced. If the underlying stock does
not close at or below the barrier price,
then the option expires worthless and
the entire amount of the premium
payment is retained within the Index.
The components of the Index will be
OTC down and in puts written on 20
equally weighted stocks selected based
on the following screening parameters:
(1) U.S. listing of U.S. companies;
(2) Publicly listed and traded options
available;
(3) Listed market capitalization
greater than $5 billion;
(4) Top 20 stocks when ranked by 3month implied volatility;
(5) The underlying company equity
securities will have a minimum trading
volume of at least 50 million shares for
the preceding six months; and
(6) Underlying company equity
securities will have a minimum average
daily trading volume of at least one
million shares and a minimum average
daily trading value of at least $10
million for the preceding six months.
The selection of the twenty
underlying stocks will occur each
quarter (March, June, September, and
December) two days prior to the third
Friday of the month, in line with option
expiration for listed options. The
selection of the twenty underlying
stocks will not, however, be limited to
those with listed options expiring in
March, June, September, or December.
The Index value will reflect a cash
amount invested in on-the-run 3-month
T-Bills plus the premium collected on
the short position in the 20 down-andin puts written by the Index each
quarter. The notional amount of each of
the 20 down-and-in puts will be equal
PO 00000
Frm 00060
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
to 1/20th of the cash amount in the
Index at the beginning of each quarter.
The cash amount (initially 1,000 for the
origination date of the Index) will be
incremented by premiums generated
each quarter from the 20 down-and-in
puts sold, then decremented by cash
settlements of any down-and-in puts
expiring in-the-money and the
distribution amount (as defined below).
The cash amount will be invested in TBills and will accrete by interest earned
on the T-Bills.
The End of Day Index Value will be
calculated as follows: End of Day Index
Value = Beginning of Quarter Index
Value + Premium Generated ¥ Option
Values + Accrued Interest ¥
distribution amount, where:
• Beginning of Quarter Index Value is
1,000 for the origination date of the
Index; thereafter, it is the previous
quarter-end End of Day Index Value;
• Premium Generated is the sum of
Option Values for each of the 20 downand-in puts sold by the Index at the end
of the previous quarter;
• Option Value is the value of each of
the 20 down-and-in puts written by the
Index at the end of each quarter. The
notional amount of each down-and-in
put sold by the Index for the current
quarter is 1/20th of the Beginning of
Quarter Index Value;
• Accrued Interest is the daily
interest earned on the cash amount held
by the Index and invested in T-Bills;
• Cash amount of the Index for any
quarter is the Beginning of Quarter
Index Value plus the Premium
Generated for that quarter;
• Distribution amount for any quarter
and paid out at the beginning of the next
relevant quarter is 2.5% of the End of
Day Index Value for the final day of the
relevant quarter. If 2.5% of the End of
Day Index Value for the final day of the
relevant quarter exceeds the amount of
the Premium Generated, then the
distribution amount will equal the
Premium Generated.
• A total return level for the Index
will be calculated and published at the
end of each day. The total return
calculation will assume the quarterly
index distribution is invested directly in
the Index at the beginning of the quarter
in which it is paid.
The Registration Statement provides
the following example. A stock ‘‘ABC’’
trades at $50 per share at the start of the
90-day period, and a down and in 90day put was written at an 80% barrier
(resulting in a strike price of $50 per
share and a barrier price of $40 per
share) for a premium of $4 per share:
Settlement above the barrier price: If
at the end of 90 days the ABC stock
closed at any value above the barrier
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Notices
price of $40, then the option would
expire worthless and the Index’s value
would reflect the retention of the $4 per
share premium. The Index’s value thus
would be increased by $4 per share on
the ABC option position.
Settlement at the barrier price: If at
the end of 90 days ABC closed at the
barrier price of $40, then the option
would settle in cash at the closing price
of $40, and the Index’s value would be
reduced by $10 per share to reflect the
settlement of the option. However, the
Index’s value would reflect the retention
of the $4 per share premium, so the net
loss to the Index’s value would be $6
per share on the ABC option position.
Settlement below the barrier price: If
at the end of 90 days, ABC closed at
$35, then the option would settle in
cash at the closing price of $35, and the
Index’s value would be reduced by $15
per share to reflect the settlement of the
option. However, the Index’s value
would reflect the retention of the $4 per
share premium, so the net loss to the
Index’s value would be $11 per share on
the ABC option position.
According to the Registration
Statement, the Index’s value is equal to
the value of the options positions
comprising the Index plus a cash
position. The cash position starts at a
base of 1,000. The cash position is
increased by option premiums
generated by the option positions
comprising the Index and interest on the
cash position at an annual rate equal to
the three month T-Bill rate. The cash
position is decreased by cash settlement
on options which ‘‘knock in’’ (i.e.,
where the closing price of the
underlying stock at the end of the 90day period is at or below the barrier
price). The cash position is also
decreased by a deemed quarterly cash
distribution, currently targeted at the
rate of 2.5% of the value of the Index.
However, if the option premiums
generated during the quarter are less
than 2.5%, the deemed distribution will
be reduced by the amount of the
shortfall.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
The Fund’s Investments
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund, under normal
circumstances,9 will invest at least 80%
of its total assets in component
securities that comprise the Index and
9 The term ‘‘under normal circumstances’’
includes, but is not limited to, the absence of
extreme volatility or trading halts in the equities or
options markets or the financial markets generally;
operational issues causing dissemination of
inaccurate market information; or force majeure
type events such as systems failure, natural or manmade disaster, act of God, armed conflict, act of
terrorism, riot or labor disruption, or any similar
intervening circumstance.
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18:15 Oct 17, 2012
Jkt 229001
in T- Bills which will be collateral for
the options positions. The Fund will
invest in the option positions
determined by the Index Provider by
writing (i.e., selling) OTC 90-day down
and in put options in proportion to their
weightings in the Index on economic
terms which mirror those of the Index.
By writing an option, the Fund will
receive premiums from the buyer of the
option, which will increase the Fund’s
return if the option does not ‘‘knock in’’
and thus expires worthless. However, if
the option’s underlying stock declines
by a specified amount (or more), the
option will ‘‘knock in’’ and the Fund
will be required to pay the buyer the
difference between the option’s strike
price and the closing price. Therefore,
by writing a put option, the Fund will
be exposed to the amount by which the
price of the underlying is less than the
strike price. Accordingly, the potential
return to the Fund will be limited to the
amount of option premiums it receives,
while the Fund can potentially lose up
to the entire strike price of each option
it sells. Further, if the value of the
stocks underlying the options sold by
the Fund increases, the Fund’s returns
will not increase accordingly.
Typically, the writer of a put option
incurs an obligation to buy the
underlying instrument from the
purchaser of the option at the option’s
exercise price, upon exercise by the
option purchaser. However, the put
options to be sold by the Fund will be
settled in cash only. The Fund may
need to sell down and in put options on
stocks other than those underlying the
option positions contained in the Index
if the Fund is unable to obtain a
competitive market from OTC option
dealers on a stock underlying a
particular option position in the Index,
thus preventing the Fund from writing
an option on that stock.10
Every 90 days, the options included
within the Index are cash settled or
expire, and new option positions are
established. The Fund will enter into
new option positions accordingly. This
90-day cycle likely will cause the Fund
to have frequent and substantial
portfolio turnover. If the Fund receives
additional inflows (and issues more
Shares accordingly in large numbers
known as ‘‘Creation Units,’’ as further
defined below) during a 90-day period,
the Fund will sell additional OTC down
and in put options which will be
exercised or expire at the end of such
90-day period. Conversely, if the Fund
10 The Fund will transact only with OTC options
dealers that have in place an International Swaps
and Derivatives Association agreement with the
Fund.
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Sfmt 4703
64155
redeems Shares in Creation Unit size
during a 90-day period, the Fund will
terminate the appropriate portion of the
options it has sold accordingly.
Secondary Investment Strategies
The Fund may invest its remaining
assets in money market instruments,11
including repurchase agreements 12 or
other funds which invest exclusively in
money market instruments, convertible
securities, structured notes (notes on
which the amount of principal
repayment and interest payments are
based on the movement of one or more
specified factors, such as the movement
of a particular stock or stock index),
forward foreign currency exchange
contracts, and in swaps,13 options (other
than options in which the Fund
principally will invest), and futures
11 The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in
high-quality money market instruments on an
ongoing basis to provide liquidity. The instruments
in which the Fund may invest include: (i) Shortterm obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii)
negotiable certificates of deposit (‘‘CDs’’), fixed time
deposits, and bankers’ acceptances of U.S. and
foreign banks and similar institutions; (iii)
commercial paper rated at the date of purchase
‘‘Prime-1’’ by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or
‘‘A–1+’’ or ‘‘A–1’’ by Standard & Poor’s or, if
unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the
Adviser; (iv) repurchase agreements; and (v) money
market mutual funds. CDs are short-term negotiable
obligations of commercial banks. Time deposits are
non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking
institutions for specified periods of time at stated
interest rates. Banker’s acceptances are time drafts
drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually
in connection with international transactions.
12 Repurchase agreements are agreements
pursuant to which securities are acquired by the
Fund from a third party with the understanding that
they will be repurchased by the seller at a fixed
price on an agreed date. These agreements may be
made with respect to any of the portfolio securities
in which the Fund is authorized to invest.
Repurchase agreements may be characterized as
loans secured by the underlying securities. The
Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with (i)
member banks of the Federal Reserve System
having total assets in excess of $500 million and (ii)
securities dealers (‘‘Qualified Institutions’’). The
Adviser will monitor the continued
creditworthiness of Qualified Institutions. The
Fund also may enter into reverse repurchase
agreements, which involve the sale of securities
with an agreement to repurchase the securities at
an agreed-upon price, date, and interest payment
and have the characteristics of borrowing.
13 Swap agreements are contracts between parties
in which one party agrees to make periodic
payments to the other party (‘‘Counterparty’’) based
on the change in market value or level of a specified
rate, index, or asset. In return, the Counterparty
agrees to make periodic payments to the first party
based on the return of a different specified rate,
index, or asset. Swap agreements will usually be
done on a net basis, the Fund receiving or paying
only the net amount of the two payments. The net
amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s
obligations over its entitlements with respect to
each swap will be accrued on a daily basis and an
amount of cash or highly liquid securities having
an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued
excess will be maintained in an account at the
Trust’s custodian bank.
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mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
contracts.14 Swaps, options (other than
options in which the Fund principally
will invest), and futures contracts (and
convertible securities and structured
notes) may be used by the Fund in
seeking performance that corresponds to
the Index and in managing cash flows.15
The Fund will not invest in money
market instruments as part of a
temporary defensive strategy to protect
against potential stock market declines.
The Adviser anticipates that it may take
approximately three business days (i.e.,
each day the New York Stock Exchange
(‘‘NYSE’’) is open) for additions and
deletions to the Index to be reflected in
the portfolio composition of the Fund.
The Fund may invest in the securities
of other investment companies
(including money market funds). Under
the 1940 Act, the Fund’s investment in
investment companies is limited to,
subject to certain exceptions, (i) 3% of
the total outstanding voting stock of any
one investment company, (ii) 5% of the
Fund’s total assets with respect to any
one investment company, and (iii) 10%
of the Fund’s total assets of investment
companies in the aggregate.16
The Fund may hold up to an aggregate
amount of 15% of its net assets in
illiquid securities (calculated at the time
of investment), including Rule 144A
securities. The Fund will monitor its
portfolio liquidity on an ongoing basis
to determine whether, in light of current
circumstances, an adequate level of
liquidity is being maintained, and will
consider taking appropriate steps in
order to maintain adequate liquidity if,
through a change in values, net assets,
or other circumstances, more than 15%
of the Fund’s net assets are held in
illiquid securities. Illiquid securities
include securities subject to contractual
14 The Fund may utilize U.S. listed exchangetraded futures. According to the Registration
Statement, the Commodity Futures Trading
Commission has eliminated limitations on futures
trading by certain regulated entities, including
registered investment companies, and consequently
registered investment companies may engage in
unlimited futures transactions and options thereon
provided that the investment adviser to the
company claims an exclusion from regulation as a
commodity pool operator. In connection with its
management of the Trust, the Adviser has claimed
such an exclusion from registration as a commodity
pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act
(7 U.S.C. 1) (‘‘CEA’’). Therefore, it is not subject to
the registration and regulatory requirements of the
CEA, and there are no limitations on the extent to
which the Fund may engage in non-hedging
transactions involving futures and options thereon,
except as set forth in the Registration Statement.
15 Swaps, options (other than options in which
the Fund principally will invest), and futures
contracts will not be included in the Fund’s
investment, under normal market circumstances, of
at least 80% of its total assets in component
securities that comprise the Index and in T-Bills, as
described above.
16 15 U.S.C. 80a–12(d).
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18:15 Oct 17, 2012
Jkt 229001
or other restrictions on resale and other
instruments that lack readily available
markets as determined in accordance
with Commission staff guidance.17
The Fund intends to qualify for and
to elect to be treated as a separate
regulated investment company (‘‘RIC’’)
under Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.18
As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject
to U.S. federal income tax on the
portion of its taxable investment income
and capital gain it distributes to its
shareholders. To qualify for treatment as
a RIC, a company must annually
distribute at least 90% of its net
investment company taxable income
(which includes dividends, interest, and
net capital gains) and meet several other
requirements relating to the nature of its
income and the diversification of its
assets. If the Fund fails to qualify for
any taxable year as a RIC, all of its
taxable income will be subject to tax at
regular corporate income tax rates
without any deduction for distributions
to shareholders, and such distributions
generally will be taxable to shareholders
as ordinary dividends to the extent of
the Fund’s current and accumulated
earnings and profits.
The Fund will not invest in non-U.S.
equity securities. The Fund’s
investments will be consistent with the
Fund’s investment objective and will
not be used to enhance leverage.
As described above, the Index
components must be based upon 20
equally weighted U.S. listed U.S.
companies and have publicly listed and
traded options. In addition, the
underlying companies will have a
market capitalization greater than $5
billion. Furthermore, the underlying
company equity securities will have a
minimum trading volume of at least 50
million shares for each of the preceding
six months and a minimum average
daily trading value of at least $10
17 The
Commission has stated that long-standing
Commission guidelines have required open-end
funds to hold no more than 15% of their net assets
in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets. See
Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (March
11, 2008), 73 FR 14618 (March 18, 2008), footnote
34. See also Investment Company Act Release No.
5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December
31, 1970) (Statement Regarding ‘‘Restricted
Securities’’); Investment Company Act Release No.
18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20,
1992) (Revisions of Guidelines to Form N–1A). A
fund’s portfolio security is illiquid if it cannot be
disposed of in the ordinary course of business
within seven days at approximately the value
ascribed to it by the fund. See Investment Company
Act Release No. 14983 (March 12, 1986), 51 FR
9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting amendments to
Rule 2a–7 under the 1940 Act); Investment
Company Act Release No. 17452 (April 23, 1990),
55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting Rule 144A
under the 1933 Act).
18 26 U.S.C. 851.
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million for the preceding six months. As
such, the Exchange believes that the
Index is sufficiently broad based in
scope and, as such, is less susceptible to
potential manipulation in view of the
market capitalization and liquidity
criteria.
Pricing Fund Shares
According to the Registration
Statement, the Fund’s OTC put options
on equity securities will be valued
pursuant to a third-party option pricing
model. Debt securities will be valued at
the mean between the last available bid
and ask prices for such securities or, if
such prices are not available, at prices
for securities of comparable maturity,
quality, and type. Securities for which
market quotations are not readily
available, including restricted securities,
will be valued by a method that the
Fund’s Board of Trustees believe
accurately reflects fair value. Securities
will be valued at fair value when market
quotations are not readily available or
are deemed unreliable, such as when a
security’s value or meaningful portion
of the Fund’s portfolio is believed to
have been materially affected by a
significant event. Such events may
include a natural disaster, an economic
event like a bankruptcy filing, trading
halt in a security, an unscheduled early
market close, or a substantial fluctuation
in domestic and foreign markets that has
occurred between the close of the
principal exchange and the NYSE. In
such a case, the value for a security is
likely to be different from the last
quoted market price. In addition, due to
the subjective and variable nature of fair
market value pricing, it is possible that
the value determined for a particular
asset may be materially different from
the value realized upon such asset’s
sale.
Creations and Redemptions
Creation of Shares
The Trust will issue and sell Shares
of the Fund only in Creation Units of
100,000 Shares each on a continuous
basis through the Distributor, without a
sales load, at its net asset value (‘‘NAV’’)
next determined after receipt, on any
business day, of an order in proper
form. Creation Units of the Fund
generally will be sold for cash only,
calculated based on the NAV per Share
multiplied by the number of Shares
representing a Creation Unit (‘‘Deposit
Cash’’), plus a transaction fee.
The Custodian, through the National
Securities Clearing Corporation
(‘‘NSCC’’), will make available on each
business day, prior to the opening of
business on NYSE Arca (currently 9:30
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a.m. Eastern Time (‘‘E.T.’’)), the amount
of the Deposit Cash to be deposited in
exchange for a Creation Unit of the
Fund.
To be eligible to place orders with the
Distributor and to create a Creation Unit
of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a
‘‘Participating Party,’’ i.e., a brokerdealer or other participant in the
clearing process through the Continuous
Net Settlement System of the NSCC
(‘‘Clearing Process’’); or (ii) a Depository
Trust Company (‘‘DTC’’) participant,
and, in each case, must have executed
an agreement with the Distributor, with
respect to creations and redemptions of
Creation Units. A Participating Party
and DTC participant are collectively
referred to as an ‘‘Authorized
Participant.’’
All orders to create Creation Units,
whether through a Participating Party or
a DTC participant, must be received by
the Distributor no later than the closing
time of the regular trading session on
the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. E.T.) in
each case on the date such order is
placed in order for creation of Creation
Units to be effected based on the NAV
of Shares of the Fund as next
determined on such date after receipt of
the order in proper form.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Redemption of Shares
Fund Shares may be redeemed only in
Creation Units at the NAV next
determined after receipt of a redemption
request in proper form by the Fund
through BNY and only on a business
day. The Fund will not redeem Shares
in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
With respect to the Fund, BNY,
through the NSCC, will make available
prior to the opening of business on
NYSE Arca (currently 9:30 a.m. E.T.) on
each business day, the amount of cash
that will be paid (subject to possible
amendment or correction) in respect of
redemption requests received in proper
form on that day (‘‘Redemption Cash’’).
The redemption proceeds for a
Creation Unit generally will consist of
the Redemption Cash, as announced on
the business day of the request for
redemption received in proper form,
less a redemption transaction fee.
Initial and Continued Listing
The Shares will conform to the initial
and continued listing criteria under
NYSE Arca Equities Rules 5.2(j)(3) and
5.5(g)(2), except that the Index is
comprised of options based on ‘‘US
Component Stocks’’ 19 rather than US
19 NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) defines the
term ‘‘US Component Stock’’ to mean an equity
security that is registered under Sections 12(b) or
12(g) of the Exchange Act or an American
Depositary Receipt, the underlying equity security
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Component Stocks themselves. The
Exchange represents that, for initial
and/or continued listing, the Fund will
be in compliance with Rule 10A–3
under the Exchange Act,20 as provided
by NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A
minimum of 100,000 Shares will be
outstanding at the commencement of
trading on the Exchange. The Exchange
will obtain a representation from the
issuer of the Shares that the NAV will
be calculated daily and made available
to all market participants at the same
time.
Availability of Information
The Fund’s Web site
(www.alpsetfs.com), which will be
publicly available prior to the public
offering of the Shares, will include a
form of the prospectus for the Fund that
may be downloaded. The Fund’s Web
site will include additional quantitative
information updated on a daily basis,
including, for the Fund, (1) daily trading
volume, the prior business day’s
reported closing price, NAV and midpoint of the bid/ask spread at the time
of calculation of such NAV (‘‘Bid/Ask
Price’’),21 and a calculation of the
premium and discount of the Bid/Ask
Price against the NAV, and (2) data in
chart format displaying the frequency
distribution of discounts and premiums
of the daily Bid/Ask Price against the
NAV, within appropriate ranges, for
each of the four previous calendar
quarters.22
On a daily basis, the Adviser will
disclose for each portfolio security and
other financial instrument of the Fund
the following information: ticker symbol
(if applicable), name of security and
financial instrument, number of
securities or dollar value of financial
instruments held in the portfolio, and
percentage weighting of the security and
financial instrument in the portfolio.
The Fund’s portfolio holdings,
including information regarding its
option positions, will be disclosed each
day on the Fund’s Web site. The Web
site information will be publicly
available at no charge.
of which is registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g)
of the Exchange Act.
20 17 CFR 240.10A–3.
21 The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be
determined using the mid-point of the highest bid
and the lowest offer on the Exchange as of the time
of calculation of the Fund’s NAV. The records
relating to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the
Fund and its service providers.
22 Under accounting procedures followed by the
Fund, trades made on the prior business day (‘‘T’’)
will be booked and reflected in NAV on the current
business day (‘‘T+1’’). Accordingly, the Fund will
be able to disclose at the beginning of the business
day the portfolio that will form the basis for the
NAV calculation at the end of the business day.
PO 00000
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64157
The NAV per Share for the Fund will
be determined once daily as of the close
of the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. E.T.,
each day the NYSE is open for trading.
NAV per Share will be determined by
dividing the value of the Fund’s
portfolio securities, cash and other
assets (including accrued interest), less
all liabilities (including accrued
expenses), by the total number of Shares
outstanding.
Investors can also obtain the Trust’s
Statement of Additional Information
(‘‘SAI’’), the Fund’s Shareholder
Reports, and its Form N–CSR and Form
N–SAR, filed twice a year. The Trust’s
SAI and Shareholder Reports are
available free upon request from the
Trust, and those documents and the
Form N–CSR and Form N–SAR may be
viewed on-screen or downloaded from
the Commission’s Web site at
www.sec.gov. Information regarding
market price and trading volume of the
Shares will be continually available on
a real-time basis throughout the day on
brokers’ computer screens and other
electronic services. Information
regarding the previous day’s closing
price and trading volume information
will be published daily in the financial
section of newspapers. Quotation and
last-sale information for the Shares will
be available via the Consolidated Tape
Association (‘‘CTA’’) high-speed line.
The value of the Index and the values
of the OTC put options components in
the Index (which will each be weighted
at 1/20 of the Index value) will be
published by one or more major market
data vendors every 15 seconds during
the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session of
9:30 a.m. E.T. to 4:00 p.m. E.T. A list of
components of the Index, with
percentage weightings, will be available
on the Exchange’s Web site. Each of the
stocks underlying the OTC put options
in the Index also will underlie
standardized options contracts traded
on U.S. options exchanges, which will
disseminate quotation and last-sale
information with respect to such
contracts. In addition, the Intraday
Indicative Value will be widely
disseminated by one or more major
market data vendors at least every 15
seconds during the Core Trading
Session.23 The dissemination of the
Intraday Indicative Value will allow
investors to determine the value of the
underlying portfolio of the Fund on a
daily basis and to provide a close
23 Currently, it is the Exchange’s understanding
that several major market data vendors display and/
or make widely available Intraday Indicative Values
taken from the CTA or other data feeds.
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estimate of that value throughout the
trading day.
Additional information regarding the
Trust and the Shares, including
investment strategies, risks, creation and
redemption procedures, fees, portfolio
holdings disclosure policies,
distributions, and taxes is included in
the Registration Statement.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Trading Halts
With respect to trading halts, the
Exchange may consider all relevant
factors in exercising its discretion to
halt or suspend trading in the Shares of
the Fund.24 Trading in Shares of the
Fund will be halted if the circuit breaker
parameters in NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.12 have been reached. Trading also
may be halted because of market
conditions or for reasons that, in the
view of the Exchange, make trading in
the Shares inadvisable. These may
include: (1) The extent to which trading
is not occurring in the securities
comprising the Fund’s portfolio
holdings and/or the financial
instruments of the Fund; or (2) whether
other unusual conditions or
circumstances detrimental to the
maintenance of a fair and orderly
market are present.
If the Intraday Indicative Value, the
Index value, or the value of the
components of the Index is not available
or is not being disseminated as required,
the Exchange may halt trading during
the day in which the disruption occurs;
if the interruption persists past the day
in which it occurred, the Exchange will
halt trading no later than the beginning
of the trading day following the
interruption. The Exchange will obtain
a representation from the Fund that the
NAV for the Fund will be calculated
daily and will be made available to all
market participants at the same time.
Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes
aware that the NAV for the Fund is not
being disseminated to all market
participants at the same time, it will halt
trading in the Shares until such time as
the NAV is available to all market
participants.
Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be
equity securities, thus rendering trading
in the Shares subject to the Exchange’s
existing rules governing the trading of
equity securities. Shares will trade on
the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4:00
a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.T. in accordance
with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34
(Opening, Core, and Late Trading
24 See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12,
Commentary .04.
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Sessions). The Exchange has
appropriate rules to facilitate
transactions in the Shares during all
trading sessions. As provided in NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03,
the minimum price variation (‘‘MPV’’)
for quoting and entry of orders in equity
securities traded on the NYSE Arca
Marketplace is $0.01, with the exception
of securities that are priced less than
$1.00 for which the MPV for order entry
is $0.0001.
Surveillance
The Exchange intends to utilize its
existing surveillance procedures
applicable to derivative products (which
include Investment Company Units) to
monitor trading in the Shares. The
Exchange represents that these
procedures are adequate to properly
monitor Exchange trading of the Shares
in all trading sessions and to deter and
detect violations of Exchange rules and
applicable federal securities laws.
The Exchange’s current trading
surveillance focuses on detecting
securities trading outside their normal
patterns. When such situations are
detected, surveillance analysis follows
and investigations are opened, where
appropriate, to review the behavior of
all relevant parties for all relevant
trading violations.
The Exchange may obtain information
via the Intermarket Surveillance Group
(‘‘ISG’’) from other exchanges that are
members of ISG or with which the
Exchange has entered into a
comprehensive surveillance sharing
agreement.25
In addition, the Exchange also has a
general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public
information by its employees.
Suitability
Currently, NYSE Arca Equities Rule
9.2(a) (Diligence as to Accounts)
provides that an Equity Trading Permit
(‘‘ETP’’) Holder, before recommending a
transaction in any security, must have
reasonable grounds to believe that the
recommendation is suitable for the
customer based on any facts disclosed
by the customer as to its other security
holdings and as to its financial situation
and needs. Further, the rule provides,
with a limited exception, that prior to
the execution of a transaction
recommended to a non-institutional
customer, the ETP Holder must make
reasonable efforts to obtain information
25 For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all
components of the portfolio for the Fund may trade
on markets that are members of ISG or with which
the Exchange has in place a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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concerning the customer’s financial
status, tax status, investment objectives,
and any other information that such
ETP Holder believes would be useful to
make a recommendation.
Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders of the suitability
requirements of NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 9.2(a) in an Information Bulletin
(‘‘Bulletin’’). Specifically, ETP Holders
will be reminded in the Information
Bulletin that, in recommending
transactions in these securities, they
must have a reasonable basis to believe
that (1) the recommendation is suitable
for a customer given reasonable inquiry
concerning the customer’s investment
objectives, financial situation, needs,
and any other information known by
such member, and (2) the customer can
evaluate the special characteristics, and
is able to bear the financial risks, of an
investment in the Shares. In connection
with the suitability obligation, the
Information Bulletin will also provide
that members must make reasonable
efforts to obtain the following
information: (1) The customer’s
financial status; (2) the customer’s tax
status; (3) the customer’s investment
objectives; and (4) such other
information used or considered to be
reasonable by such member or
registered representative in making
recommendations to the customer.
In addition, FINRA has issued a
regulatory notice relating to sales
practice procedures applicable to
recommendations to customers by
FINRA members of reverse convertibles,
as described in FINRA Regulatory
Notice 10–09 (February 2010) (‘‘FINRA
Regulatory Notice’’).26 As described
above, while the Fund will not invest in
traditional reverse convertible
securities, the down and in put options
written by the Fund will have the effect
of exposing the Fund to the return of
reverse convertible securities as if the
Fund owned such reverse convertible
securities directly. Therefore, the
Bulletin will state that ETP Holders that
carry customer accounts should follow
the FINRA guidance set forth in the
FINRA Regulatory Notice.
As disclosed in the Registration
Statement, the Fund is designed for
investors who seek to obtain income
through selling options on select equity
securities which the Index Provider
determines to have the highest
volatility. Because of the high volatility
of the stocks underlying the options
26 The Exchange notes that NASD Rule 2310
relating to suitability, referenced in the FINRA
Regulatory Notice, has been superseded by FINRA
Rule 2111. See FINRA Regulatory Notice 12–25
(May 2012).
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sold by the Fund, it is possible that the
value of such stocks will decline in
sufficient magnitude to trigger the
exercise of the options and cause a loss
which may outweigh the income from
selling such options. The Registration
Statement states that, accordingly, the
Fund should be considered a
speculative trading instrument and is
not necessarily appropriate for investors
who seek to avoid or minimize their
exposure to stock market volatility. The
Exchange’s Information Bulletin
regarding the Fund, described below,
will provide information regarding the
suitability of an investment in the
Shares, as stated in the Registration
Statement.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of
trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders in the Bulletin of the
special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares.
Specifically, the Bulletin will discuss
the following: (1) The procedures for
purchases and redemptions of Shares in
Creation Units (and that Shares are not
individually redeemable); (2) NYSE
Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which
imposes a duty of due diligence on its
ETP Holders to learn the essential facts
relating to every customer prior to
trading the Shares; (3) the risks involved
in trading the Shares during the
Opening and Late Trading Sessions
when an updated Intraday Indicative
Value will not be calculated or publicly
disseminated; (4) how information
regarding the Intraday Indicative Value
is disseminated; (5) the requirement that
ETP Holders deliver a prospectus to
investors purchasing newly issued
Shares prior to or concurrently with the
confirmation of a transaction; and (6)
trading information.
In addition, the Bulletin will
reference that the Fund is subject to
various fees and expenses described in
the Registration Statement. The Bulletin
will discuss any exemptive, no-action,
and interpretive relief granted by the
Commission from any rules under the
Exchange Act. The Bulletin will also
disclose that the NAV for the Shares
will be calculated after 4:00 p.m. E.T.
each trading day.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Exchange Act for
this proposed rule change is the
requirement under Section 6(b)(5) 27
that an exchange have rules that are
designed to prevent fraudulent and
manipulative acts and practices, to
promote just and equitable principles of
27 15
U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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Jkt 229001
trade, to remove impediments to, and
perfect the mechanism of a free and
open market, and, in general, to protect
investors and the public interest.
The Exchange believes that the
proposed rule change is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative
acts and practices in that the Shares will
be listed and traded on the Exchange
pursuant to the initial listing criteria in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) and
Commentary .01 thereto and continued
listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 5.5(g)(2). The Exchange has in
place surveillance procedures that are
adequate to properly monitor trading in
the Shares in all trading sessions and to
deter and detect violations of Exchange
rules and applicable federal securities
laws. The Exchange may obtain
information via ISG from other
exchanges that are members of ISG or
with which the Exchange has entered
into a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. The 20 stocks on
which options will be written will be
from a selection of the largest
capitalized (over $5 billion in market
capitalization) stocks which also have
listed options and which have the
highest volatility, as determined by the
Index Provider, and will be NMS stocks
as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation
NMS under the Exchange Act. Each
option written by the Fund will be
covered through investments in three
month T-Bills at least equal to the
Fund’s maximum liability under the
option (i.e., the strike price). The Fund
will not invest in non-U.S. equity
securities and the Fund’s investments
will be consistent with the Fund’s
investment objective and will not be
used to enhance leverage. FINRA has
issued a regulatory notice relating to
sales practice procedures applicable to
recommendations to customers by
FINRA members of reverse convertibles,
as described in the FINRA Regulatory
Notice, and ETP Holders that carry
customer accounts should follow the
FINRA guidance set forth therein. Prior
to the commencement of trading, the
Exchange will inform its ETP Holders in
an Information Bulletin of the special
characteristics and risks associated with
trading the Shares. The Information
Bulletin will state that ETP Holders that
carry customer accounts should follow
FINRA guidance set forth in the FINRA
Regulatory Notice.
The proposed rule change is designed
to promote just and equitable principles
of trade and to protect investors and the
public interest in that, if the Intraday
Indicative Value, the Index value, or the
value of the components of the Index is
not available or is not being
disseminated as required, the Exchange
PO 00000
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64159
may halt trading during the day in
which the disruption occurs; if the
interruption persists past the day in
which it occurred, the Exchange will
halt trading no later than the beginning
of the trading day following the
interruption. The Exchange will obtain
a representation from the Fund that the
NAV for the Fund will be calculated
daily and will be made available to all
market participants at the same time.
Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes
aware that the NAV for the Fund is not
being disseminated to all market
participants at the same time, it will halt
trading in the Shares until such time as
the NAV is available to all market
participants. The Fund’s portfolio
holdings, including information
regarding its option positions, will be
disclosed each day on the Fund’s Web
site. The Web site information will be
publicly available at no charge.
Information regarding market price and
trading volume of the Shares will be
continually available on a real-time
basis throughout the day on brokers’
computer screens and other electronic
services. Quotation and last-sale
information for the Shares will be
available via the CTA high-speed line.
The value of the Index and the values
of the OTC put options components in
the Index (which will each be weighted
at 1/20 of the Index value) will be
published by one or more major market
data vendors every 15 seconds during
the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session of
9:30 a.m. E.T. to 4:00 p.m. E.T. A list of
components of the Index, with
percentage weightings, will be available
on the Exchange’s Web site. Each of the
stocks underlying the OTC put options
in the Index also will underlie
standardized options contracts traded
on U.S. options exchanges, which will
disseminate quotation and last-sale
information with respect to such
contracts. In addition, the Intraday
Indicative Value will be disseminated
by one or more major market data
vendors at least every 15 seconds during
the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session.
The proposed rule change is designed
to perfect the mechanism of a free and
open market and, in general, to protect
investors and the public interest in that
it will facilitate the listing and trading
of an additional type of exchange-traded
product that will enhance competition
among market participants, to the
benefit of investors and the marketplace.
As noted above, the Exchange has in
place surveillance procedures relating to
trading in the Shares and may obtain
information via ISG from other
exchanges that are members of ISG or
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with which the Exchange has entered
into a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. In addition, as noted
above, investors will have ready access
to information regarding the Fund’s
portfolio holdings, the Intraday
Indicative Value, and quotation and
last-sale information for the Shares.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that
the proposed rule change will impose
any burden on competition that is not
necessary or appropriate in furtherance
of the purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement on Comments on the
Proposed Rule Change Received From
Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited
or received with respect to the proposed
rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the
Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of
publication of this notice in the Federal
Register or within such longer period (i)
as the Commission may designate up to
90 days of such date if it finds such
longer period to be appropriate and
publishes its reasons for so finding or
(ii) as to which the self-regulatory
organization consents, the Commission
will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove
the proposed rule change, or
(B) institute proceedings to determine
whether the proposed rule change
should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing,
including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act.
Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Electronic Comments
All submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2012–108. This
file number should be included on the
subject line if email is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
comments more efficiently, please use
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Section, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549–1090, on official
business days between 10:00 a.m. and
3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing will also
be available for inspection and copying
at the NYSE’s principal office and on its
Internet Web site at www.nyse.com. All
comments received will be posted
without change; the Commission does
not edit personal identifying
information from submissions. You
should submit only information that
you wish to make available publicly. All
submissions should refer to File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2012–108 and
should be submitted on or before
November 8, 2012.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.28
Kevin M. O’Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012–25598 Filed 10–17–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
[Release No. 34–68044; File No. SR–
NYSEArca–2012–109]
• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an email to rulecomments@sec.gov. Please include File
Number SR–NYSEArca–2012–108 on
the subject line.
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE
Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed
Rule Change Relating to the Listing
and Trading of Shares of the U.S.
Equity High Volatility Put Write Index
Fund Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
5.2(j)(3)
Paper Comments
October 12, 2012.
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary,
Securities and Exchange Commission,
100 F Street NE., Washington, DC
20549–1090.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:15 Oct 17, 2012
Jkt 229001
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (‘‘Act’’
or ‘‘Exchange Act’’) 1 and Rule 19b–4
28 17
1 15
PO 00000
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
Frm 00066
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
thereunder,2 notice is hereby given that,
on September 27, 2012, NYSE Arca, Inc.
(‘‘Exchange’’ or ‘‘NYSE Arca’’) filed
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (‘‘Commission’’) the
proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items
have been prepared by the Exchange.
The Commission is publishing this
notice to solicit comments on the
proposed rule change from interested
persons.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Terms of Substance of
the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares of the following issue under
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)
(‘‘Investment Company Units’’): the U.S.
Equity High Volatility Put Write Index
Fund. The text of the proposed rule
change is available on the Exchange’s
Web site at www.nyse.com, at the
principal office of the Exchange, and at
the Commission’s Public Reference
Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
In its filing with the Commission, the
self-regulatory organization included
statements concerning the purpose of,
and basis for, the proposed rule change
and discussed any comments it received
on the proposed rule change. The text
of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below.
The Exchange has prepared summaries,
set forth in sections A, B, and C below,
of the most significant parts of such
statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization’s
Statement of the Purpose of, and the
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule
Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and
trade shares (‘‘Shares’’) of the U.S.
Equity High Volatility Put Write Index
Fund (‘‘Fund’’) under Commentary .01
to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3),
which governs the listing and trading of
Investment Company Units.3 The Shares
will be issued by the ALPS ETF Trust
2 17
CFR 240.19b–4.
Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)(A) provides
that an Investment Company Unit is a security that
represents an interest in a registered investment
company that holds securities comprising, or
otherwise based on or representing an interest in,
an index or portfolio of securities (or holds
securities in another registered investment
company that holds securities comprising, or
otherwise based on or representing an interest in,
an index or portfolio of securities).
3 NYSE
E:\FR\FM\18OCN1.SGM
18OCN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 202 (Thursday, October 18, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64153-64160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-25598]
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-68043; File No. SR-NYSEArca-2012-108]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing
of Proposed Rule Change and Amendment No. 1 Thereto Relating to the
Listing and Trading of Shares of the NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic
Reverse Convertible Index Fund Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)
October 12, 2012.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(``Act'' or ``Exchange Act'') \1\ and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,\2\ notice
is hereby given that, on September 27, 2012, NYSE Arca, Inc.
(``Exchange'' or ``NYSE Arca'') filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (``Commission'') the proposed rule change as described in
Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by the
Exchange. On October 2, 2012, the Exchange submitted Amendment No. 1 to
the proposed rule change.\3\ The Commission is publishing this notice
to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested
persons.
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\1\ 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
\2\ 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
\3\ In Amendment No. 1, the Exchange amended the filing to
specify that a list of components of the Index (as defined below),
with percentage weightings, will be available on the Exchange's Web
site, and that the Exchange may halt trading in the Shares (as
defined below) if the Index value, or the value of the components of
the Index, is not available or not disseminated as required.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance
of the Proposed Rule Change
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares of the following
issue under Commentary .01 to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)
(``Investment Company Units''): NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse
Convertible Index Fund. The text of the proposed rule change is
available on the Exchange's Web site at www.nyse.com, at the principal
office of the Exchange, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the self-regulatory organization
included statements concerning the purpose of, and basis for, the
proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the
proposed rule change. The text of those statements may be examined at
the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared
summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most
significant parts of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and
Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to list and trade shares (``Shares'') of the
NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic Reverse Convertible Index Fund
(``Fund'') under Commentary .01 to NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3),
which governs the listing and trading of Investment Company Units.\4\
The Shares will be issued by the ALPS ETF Trust (``Trust''). ALPS
Advisors, Inc. will be the Fund's investment adviser (``Adviser''), and
Rich Investment Solutions, LLC, will be the Fund's investment sub-
adviser (``Sub-Adviser'').\5\ The Bank of New York Mellon (``BNY'')
will serve as custodian, Fund accounting agent, and transfer agent for
the Fund. ALPS Distributors, Inc. will be the Fund's distributor
(``Distributor'').\6\
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\4\ NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3)(A) provides that an
Investment Company Unit is a security that represents an interest in
a registered investment company that holds securities comprising, or
otherwise based on or representing an interest in, an index or
portfolio of securities (or holds securities in another registered
investment company that holds securities comprising, or otherwise
based on or representing an interest in, an index or portfolio of
securities).
\5\ An investment adviser to an open-end fund is required to be
registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (``Advisers
Act''). As a result, the Adviser and Sub-Adviser and their related
personnel are subject to the provisions of Rule 204A-1 under the
Advisers Act relating to codes of ethics. This Rule requires
investment advisers to adopt a code of ethics that reflects the
fiduciary nature of the relationship to clients as well as
compliance with other applicable securities laws. Accordingly,
procedures designed to prevent the communication and misuse of non-
public information by an investment adviser must be consistent with
Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act. In addition, Rule 206(4)-7 under
the Advisers Act makes it unlawful for an investment adviser to
provide investment advice to clients unless such investment adviser
has (i) adopted and implemented written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent violation, by the investment adviser
and its supervised persons, of the Advisers Act and the Commission
rules adopted thereunder; (ii) implemented, at a minimum, an annual
review regarding the adequacy of the policies and procedures
established pursuant to subparagraph (i) above and the effectiveness
of their implementation; and (iii) designated an individual (who is
a supervised person) responsible for administering the policies and
procedures adopted under subparagraph (i) above.
\6\ The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of
1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-1) (``1940 Act''). On June 22, 2012, the Trust
filed with the Commission an amendment to its registration statement
on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77a), and
under the 1940 Act relating to the Fund (File Nos. 333-148826 and
811-22175) (``Registration Statement''). The description of the
operation of the Trust and the Fund herein is based, in part, on the
Registration Statement. In addition, the Commission has issued an
order granting certain exemptive relief to the Trust under the 1940
Act. See Investment Company Act Release No. 812-13430 (May 1, 2008)
(``Exemptive Order'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Adviser is affiliated with a broker-dealer and will implement
and maintain procedures designed to prevent the use and dissemination
of material, non-public information regarding the Fund's portfolio. The
Sub-Adviser is not affiliated with a broker-dealer. In the event (a)
the Sub-Adviser becomes newly affiliated with a broker-dealer, or (b)
any new adviser or sub-adviser becomes affiliated with a broker-dealer,
it will implement a fire wall and maintain procedures designed to
prevent the use and dissemination of material, non-public information
regarding the Fund's portfolio.
NYSE Arca will be the ``Index Provider'' for the Fund. NYSE Arca is
not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, or the
Distributor. NYSE Arca is affiliated with a broker-dealer and will
implement a fire wall and maintain procedures designed to prevent the
use and dissemination of material, non-public information regarding the
Index.
[[Page 64154]]
Description of the Fund
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund will seek
investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before
the Fund's fees and expenses, of the NYSE Arca U.S. Equity Synthetic
Reverse Convertible Index (``Index''). The Index reflects the
performance of a portfolio consisting of short over-the-counter
(``OTC'') put options that have been written on 20 of the most volatile
U.S. stocks that also have market capitalization of at least $5
billion.
In seeking to replicate, before expenses, the performance of the
Index, the Fund will generally sell (i.e., write) 90-day OTC ``down and
in'' put options, as described below, in proportion to their weightings
in the Index on economic terms which mirror those of the Index. Each
option written by the Fund will be covered through investments in three
month Treasury bills (``T-bills'') at least equal to the Fund's maximum
liability under the option (i.e., the strike price). The Sub-Adviser
will seek a correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund's
performance and the performance of the Index. A figure of 1.00 would
represent perfect correlation.\7\
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\7\ According to the Registration Statement, while the Fund will
not invest in traditional reverse convertible securities (i.e.,
those which convert into the underlying stock), the down and in put
options written by the Fund will have the effect of exposing the
Fund to the return of reverse convertible securities (based on
equity securities) as if the Fund owned such reverse convertible
securities directly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Index Methodology and Construction
According to the Registration Statement, the Index measures the
return of a hypothetical portfolio consisting of OTC put options which
have been written on each of 20 stocks and a cash position calculated
as described below. The 20 stocks on which options will be written are
those 20 stocks from a selection of the largest capitalized (over $5
billion in market capitalization) stocks which also have listed options
and which have the highest volatility, as determined by the Index
Provider. These stocks will be NMS stocks as defined in Rule 600 of
Regulation NMS under the Exchange Act.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Terms relating to the Trust, the Fund, and the Shares
referred to, but not defined, herein are defined in the Registration
Statement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The options are of the type known as ``down and in'' put options. A
down and in option is a contract that becomes a typical option (i.e.,
the option ``knocks in'' at a predetermined strike price) once the
underlying stock declines to a specified price (``barrier price'').
These types of options are found in ``reverse convertible'' securities,
which convert into the underlying stock (or settle in cash) only upon a
decline in the value of the underlying stock rather than a rise (as is
the case with typical convertible instruments).
According to the Registration Statement, each option included in
the Index is a ``European-style'' option (i.e., an option which can
only be exercised at its expiration) with a 90-day term. The strike
prices of the option positions included in the Index are determined
based on the closing prices of the options' underlying stocks as of the
beginning of each 90-day period. The barrier price of each such option
is 80% of the strike price. At the expiration of each 90-day period, if
an underlying stock closes at or below its respective barrier price, a
cash settlement payment in an amount equal to the difference between
the strike price and the closing price of the stock is deemed to be
made, and the Index value is correspondingly reduced. If the underlying
stock does not close at or below the barrier price, then the option
expires worthless and the entire amount of the premium payment is
retained within the Index.
The components of the Index will be OTC down and in puts written on
20 equally weighted stocks selected based on the following screening
parameters:
(1) U.S. listing of U.S. companies;
(2) Publicly listed and traded options available;
(3) Listed market capitalization greater than $5 billion;
(4) Top 20 stocks when ranked by 3-month implied volatility;
(5) The underlying company equity securities will have a minimum
trading volume of at least 50 million shares for the preceding six
months; and
(6) Underlying company equity securities will have a minimum
average daily trading volume of at least one million shares and a
minimum average daily trading value of at least $10 million for the
preceding six months.
The selection of the twenty underlying stocks will occur each
quarter (March, June, September, and December) two days prior to the
third Friday of the month, in line with option expiration for listed
options. The selection of the twenty underlying stocks will not,
however, be limited to those with listed options expiring in March,
June, September, or December.
The Index value will reflect a cash amount invested in on-the-run
3-month T-Bills plus the premium collected on the short position in the
20 down-and-in puts written by the Index each quarter. The notional
amount of each of the 20 down-and-in puts will be equal to 1/20th of
the cash amount in the Index at the beginning of each quarter. The cash
amount (initially 1,000 for the origination date of the Index) will be
incremented by premiums generated each quarter from the 20 down-and-in
puts sold, then decremented by cash settlements of any down-and-in puts
expiring in-the-money and the distribution amount (as defined below).
The cash amount will be invested in T-Bills and will accrete by
interest earned on the T-Bills.
The End of Day Index Value will be calculated as follows: End of
Day Index Value = Beginning of Quarter Index Value + Premium Generated
- Option Values + Accrued Interest - distribution amount, where:
Beginning of Quarter Index Value is 1,000 for the
origination date of the Index; thereafter, it is the previous quarter-
end End of Day Index Value;
Premium Generated is the sum of Option Values for each of
the 20 down-and-in puts sold by the Index at the end of the previous
quarter;
Option Value is the value of each of the 20 down-and-in
puts written by the Index at the end of each quarter. The notional
amount of each down-and-in put sold by the Index for the current
quarter is 1/20th of the Beginning of Quarter Index Value;
Accrued Interest is the daily interest earned on the cash
amount held by the Index and invested in T-Bills;
Cash amount of the Index for any quarter is the Beginning
of Quarter Index Value plus the Premium Generated for that quarter;
Distribution amount for any quarter and paid out at the
beginning of the next relevant quarter is 2.5% of the End of Day Index
Value for the final day of the relevant quarter. If 2.5% of the End of
Day Index Value for the final day of the relevant quarter exceeds the
amount of the Premium Generated, then the distribution amount will
equal the Premium Generated.
A total return level for the Index will be calculated and
published at the end of each day. The total return calculation will
assume the quarterly index distribution is invested directly in the
Index at the beginning of the quarter in which it is paid.
The Registration Statement provides the following example. A stock
``ABC'' trades at $50 per share at the start of the 90-day period, and
a down and in 90-day put was written at an 80% barrier (resulting in a
strike price of $50 per share and a barrier price of $40 per share) for
a premium of $4 per share:
Settlement above the barrier price: If at the end of 90 days the
ABC stock closed at any value above the barrier
[[Page 64155]]
price of $40, then the option would expire worthless and the Index's
value would reflect the retention of the $4 per share premium. The
Index's value thus would be increased by $4 per share on the ABC option
position.
Settlement at the barrier price: If at the end of 90 days ABC
closed at the barrier price of $40, then the option would settle in
cash at the closing price of $40, and the Index's value would be
reduced by $10 per share to reflect the settlement of the option.
However, the Index's value would reflect the retention of the $4 per
share premium, so the net loss to the Index's value would be $6 per
share on the ABC option position.
Settlement below the barrier price: If at the end of 90 days, ABC
closed at $35, then the option would settle in cash at the closing
price of $35, and the Index's value would be reduced by $15 per share
to reflect the settlement of the option. However, the Index's value
would reflect the retention of the $4 per share premium, so the net
loss to the Index's value would be $11 per share on the ABC option
position.
According to the Registration Statement, the Index's value is equal
to the value of the options positions comprising the Index plus a cash
position. The cash position starts at a base of 1,000. The cash
position is increased by option premiums generated by the option
positions comprising the Index and interest on the cash position at an
annual rate equal to the three month T-Bill rate. The cash position is
decreased by cash settlement on options which ``knock in'' (i.e., where
the closing price of the underlying stock at the end of the 90-day
period is at or below the barrier price). The cash position is also
decreased by a deemed quarterly cash distribution, currently targeted
at the rate of 2.5% of the value of the Index. However, if the option
premiums generated during the quarter are less than 2.5%, the deemed
distribution will be reduced by the amount of the shortfall.
The Fund's Investments
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund, under normal
circumstances,\9\ will invest at least 80% of its total assets in
component securities that comprise the Index and in T- Bills which will
be collateral for the options positions. The Fund will invest in the
option positions determined by the Index Provider by writing (i.e.,
selling) OTC 90-day down and in put options in proportion to their
weightings in the Index on economic terms which mirror those of the
Index. By writing an option, the Fund will receive premiums from the
buyer of the option, which will increase the Fund's return if the
option does not ``knock in'' and thus expires worthless. However, if
the option's underlying stock declines by a specified amount (or more),
the option will ``knock in'' and the Fund will be required to pay the
buyer the difference between the option's strike price and the closing
price. Therefore, by writing a put option, the Fund will be exposed to
the amount by which the price of the underlying is less than the strike
price. Accordingly, the potential return to the Fund will be limited to
the amount of option premiums it receives, while the Fund can
potentially lose up to the entire strike price of each option it sells.
Further, if the value of the stocks underlying the options sold by the
Fund increases, the Fund's returns will not increase accordingly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ The term ``under normal circumstances'' includes, but is not
limited to, the absence of extreme volatility or trading halts in
the equities or options markets or the financial markets generally;
operational issues causing dissemination of inaccurate market
information; or force majeure type events such as systems failure,
natural or man-made disaster, act of God, armed conflict, act of
terrorism, riot or labor disruption, or any similar intervening
circumstance.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Typically, the writer of a put option incurs an obligation to buy
the underlying instrument from the purchaser of the option at the
option's exercise price, upon exercise by the option purchaser.
However, the put options to be sold by the Fund will be settled in cash
only. The Fund may need to sell down and in put options on stocks other
than those underlying the option positions contained in the Index if
the Fund is unable to obtain a competitive market from OTC option
dealers on a stock underlying a particular option position in the
Index, thus preventing the Fund from writing an option on that
stock.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ The Fund will transact only with OTC options dealers that
have in place an International Swaps and Derivatives Association
agreement with the Fund.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every 90 days, the options included within the Index are cash
settled or expire, and new option positions are established. The Fund
will enter into new option positions accordingly. This 90-day cycle
likely will cause the Fund to have frequent and substantial portfolio
turnover. If the Fund receives additional inflows (and issues more
Shares accordingly in large numbers known as ``Creation Units,'' as
further defined below) during a 90-day period, the Fund will sell
additional OTC down and in put options which will be exercised or
expire at the end of such 90-day period. Conversely, if the Fund
redeems Shares in Creation Unit size during a 90-day period, the Fund
will terminate the appropriate portion of the options it has sold
accordingly.
Secondary Investment Strategies
The Fund may invest its remaining assets in money market
instruments,\11\ including repurchase agreements \12\ or other funds
which invest exclusively in money market instruments, convertible
securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal
repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or
more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or
stock index), forward foreign currency exchange contracts, and in
swaps,\13\ options (other than options in which the Fund principally
will invest), and futures
[[Page 64156]]
contracts.\14\ Swaps, options (other than options in which the Fund
principally will invest), and futures contracts (and convertible
securities and structured notes) may be used by the Fund in seeking
performance that corresponds to the Index and in managing cash
flows.\15\ The Fund will not invest in money market instruments as part
of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock
market declines. The Adviser anticipates that it may take approximately
three business days (i.e., each day the New York Stock Exchange
(``NYSE'') is open) for additions and deletions to the Index to be
reflected in the portfolio composition of the Fund.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in high-quality
money market instruments on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity.
The instruments in which the Fund may invest include: (i) Short-term
obligations issued by the U.S. Government; (ii) negotiable
certificates of deposit (``CDs''), fixed time deposits, and bankers'
acceptances of U.S. and foreign banks and similar institutions;
(iii) commercial paper rated at the date of purchase ``Prime-1'' by
Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or ``A-1+'' or ``A-1'' by Standard &
Poor's or, if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the
Adviser; (iv) repurchase agreements; and (v) money market mutual
funds. CDs are short-term negotiable obligations of commercial
banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in
banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated
interest rates. Banker's acceptances are time drafts drawn on
commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with
international transactions.
\12\ Repurchase agreements are agreements pursuant to which
securities are acquired by the Fund from a third party with the
understanding that they will be repurchased by the seller at a fixed
price on an agreed date. These agreements may be made with respect
to any of the portfolio securities in which the Fund is authorized
to invest. Repurchase agreements may be characterized as loans
secured by the underlying securities. The Fund may enter into
repurchase agreements with (i) member banks of the Federal Reserve
System having total assets in excess of $500 million and (ii)
securities dealers (``Qualified Institutions''). The Adviser will
monitor the continued creditworthiness of Qualified Institutions.
The Fund also may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which
involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the
securities at an agreed-upon price, date, and interest payment and
have the characteristics of borrowing.
\13\ Swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one
party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party
(``Counterparty'') based on the change in market value or level of a
specified rate, index, or asset. In return, the Counterparty agrees
to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return of
a different specified rate, index, or asset. Swap agreements will
usually be done on a net basis, the Fund receiving or paying only
the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if
any, of the Fund's obligations over its entitlements with respect to
each swap will be accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or
highly liquid securities having an aggregate value at least equal to
the accrued excess will be maintained in an account at the Trust's
custodian bank.
\14\ The Fund may utilize U.S. listed exchange-traded futures.
According to the Registration Statement, the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission has eliminated limitations on futures trading by
certain regulated entities, including registered investment
companies, and consequently registered investment companies may
engage in unlimited futures transactions and options thereon
provided that the investment adviser to the company claims an
exclusion from regulation as a commodity pool operator. In
connection with its management of the Trust, the Adviser has claimed
such an exclusion from registration as a commodity pool operator
under the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1) (``CEA''). Therefore,
it is not subject to the registration and regulatory requirements of
the CEA, and there are no limitations on the extent to which the
Fund may engage in non-hedging transactions involving futures and
options thereon, except as set forth in the Registration Statement.
\15\ Swaps, options (other than options in which the Fund
principally will invest), and futures contracts will not be included
in the Fund's investment, under normal market circumstances, of at
least 80% of its total assets in component securities that comprise
the Index and in T-Bills, as described above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies
(including money market funds). Under the 1940 Act, the Fund's
investment in investment companies is limited to, subject to certain
exceptions, (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one
investment company, (ii) 5% of the Fund's total assets with respect to
any one investment company, and (iii) 10% of the Fund's total assets of
investment companies in the aggregate.\16\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ 15 U.S.C. 80a-12(d).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fund may hold up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net
assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment),
including Rule 144A securities. The Fund will monitor its portfolio
liquidity on an ongoing basis to determine whether, in light of current
circumstances, an adequate level of liquidity is being maintained, and
will consider taking appropriate steps in order to maintain adequate
liquidity if, through a change in values, net assets, or other
circumstances, more than 15% of the Fund's net assets are held in
illiquid securities. Illiquid securities include securities subject to
contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that
lack readily available markets as determined in accordance with
Commission staff guidance.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ The Commission has stated that long-standing Commission
guidelines have required open-end funds to hold no more than 15% of
their net assets in illiquid securities and other illiquid assets.
See Investment Company Act Release No. 28193 (March 11, 2008), 73 FR
14618 (March 18, 2008), footnote 34. See also Investment Company Act
Release No. 5847 (October 21, 1969), 35 FR 19989 (December 31, 1970)
(Statement Regarding ``Restricted Securities''); Investment Company
Act Release No. 18612 (March 12, 1992), 57 FR 9828 (March 20, 1992)
(Revisions of Guidelines to Form N-1A). A fund's portfolio security
is illiquid if it cannot be disposed of in the ordinary course of
business within seven days at approximately the value ascribed to it
by the fund. See Investment Company Act Release No. 14983 (March 12,
1986), 51 FR 9773 (March 21, 1986) (adopting amendments to Rule 2a-7
under the 1940 Act); Investment Company Act Release No. 17452 (April
23, 1990), 55 FR 17933 (April 30, 1990) (adopting Rule 144A under
the 1933 Act).
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The Fund intends to qualify for and to elect to be treated as a
separate regulated investment company (``RIC'') under Subchapter M of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.\18\ As a RIC, the Fund
will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its
taxable investment income and capital gain it distributes to its
shareholders. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, a company must
annually distribute at least 90% of its net investment company taxable
income (which includes dividends, interest, and net capital gains) and
meet several other requirements relating to the nature of its income
and the diversification of its assets. If the Fund fails to qualify for
any taxable year as a RIC, all of its taxable income will be subject to
tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for
distributions to shareholders, and such distributions generally will be
taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the
Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.
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\18\ 26 U.S.C. 851.
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The Fund will not invest in non-U.S. equity securities. The Fund's
investments will be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and
will not be used to enhance leverage.
As described above, the Index components must be based upon 20
equally weighted U.S. listed U.S. companies and have publicly listed
and traded options. In addition, the underlying companies will have a
market capitalization greater than $5 billion. Furthermore, the
underlying company equity securities will have a minimum trading volume
of at least 50 million shares for each of the preceding six months and
a minimum average daily trading value of at least $10 million for the
preceding six months. As such, the Exchange believes that the Index is
sufficiently broad based in scope and, as such, is less susceptible to
potential manipulation in view of the market capitalization and
liquidity criteria.
Pricing Fund Shares
According to the Registration Statement, the Fund's OTC put options
on equity securities will be valued pursuant to a third-party option
pricing model. Debt securities will be valued at the mean between the
last available bid and ask prices for such securities or, if such
prices are not available, at prices for securities of comparable
maturity, quality, and type. Securities for which market quotations are
not readily available, including restricted securities, will be valued
by a method that the Fund's Board of Trustees believe accurately
reflects fair value. Securities will be valued at fair value when
market quotations are not readily available or are deemed unreliable,
such as when a security's value or meaningful portion of the Fund's
portfolio is believed to have been materially affected by a significant
event. Such events may include a natural disaster, an economic event
like a bankruptcy filing, trading halt in a security, an unscheduled
early market close, or a substantial fluctuation in domestic and
foreign markets that has occurred between the close of the principal
exchange and the NYSE. In such a case, the value for a security is
likely to be different from the last quoted market price. In addition,
due to the subjective and variable nature of fair market value pricing,
it is possible that the value determined for a particular asset may be
materially different from the value realized upon such asset's sale.
Creations and Redemptions
Creation of Shares
The Trust will issue and sell Shares of the Fund only in Creation
Units of 100,000 Shares each on a continuous basis through the
Distributor, without a sales load, at its net asset value (``NAV'')
next determined after receipt, on any business day, of an order in
proper form. Creation Units of the Fund generally will be sold for cash
only, calculated based on the NAV per Share multiplied by the number of
Shares representing a Creation Unit (``Deposit Cash''), plus a
transaction fee.
The Custodian, through the National Securities Clearing Corporation
(``NSCC''), will make available on each business day, prior to the
opening of business on NYSE Arca (currently 9:30
[[Page 64157]]
a.m. Eastern Time (``E.T.'')), the amount of the Deposit Cash to be
deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit of the Fund.
To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a
Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be (i) a ``Participating
Party,'' i.e., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing
process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC
(``Clearing Process''); or (ii) a Depository Trust Company (``DTC'')
participant, and, in each case, must have executed an agreement with
the Distributor, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation
Units. A Participating Party and DTC participant are collectively
referred to as an ``Authorized Participant.''
All orders to create Creation Units, whether through a
Participating Party or a DTC participant, must be received by the
Distributor no later than the closing time of the regular trading
session on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m. E.T.) in each case on the
date such order is placed in order for creation of Creation Units to be
effected based on the NAV of Shares of the Fund as next determined on
such date after receipt of the order in proper form.
Redemption of Shares
Fund Shares may be redeemed only in Creation Units at the NAV next
determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the
Fund through BNY and only on a business day. The Fund will not redeem
Shares in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
With respect to the Fund, BNY, through the NSCC, will make
available prior to the opening of business on NYSE Arca (currently 9:30
a.m. E.T.) on each business day, the amount of cash that will be paid
(subject to possible amendment or correction) in respect of redemption
requests received in proper form on that day (``Redemption Cash'').
The redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally will consist
of the Redemption Cash, as announced on the business day of the request
for redemption received in proper form, less a redemption transaction
fee.
Initial and Continued Listing
The Shares will conform to the initial and continued listing
criteria under NYSE Arca Equities Rules 5.2(j)(3) and 5.5(g)(2), except
that the Index is comprised of options based on ``US Component Stocks''
\19\ rather than US Component Stocks themselves. The Exchange
represents that, for initial and/or continued listing, the Fund will be
in compliance with Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act,\20\ as provided
by NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.3. A minimum of 100,000 Shares will be
outstanding at the commencement of trading on the Exchange. The
Exchange will obtain a representation from the issuer of the Shares
that the NAV will be calculated daily and made available to all market
participants at the same time.
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\19\ NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) defines the term ``US
Component Stock'' to mean an equity security that is registered
under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act or an American
Depositary Receipt, the underlying equity security of which is
registered under Sections 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act.
\20\ 17 CFR 240.10A-3.
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Availability of Information
The Fund's Web site (www.alpsetfs.com), which will be publicly
available prior to the public offering of the Shares, will include a
form of the prospectus for the Fund that may be downloaded. The Fund's
Web site will include additional quantitative information updated on a
daily basis, including, for the Fund, (1) daily trading volume, the
prior business day's reported closing price, NAV and mid-point of the
bid/ask spread at the time of calculation of such NAV (``Bid/Ask
Price''),\21\ and a calculation of the premium and discount of the Bid/
Ask Price against the NAV, and (2) data in chart format displaying the
frequency distribution of discounts and premiums of the daily Bid/Ask
Price against the NAV, within appropriate ranges, for each of the four
previous calendar quarters.\22\
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\21\ The Bid/Ask Price of the Fund will be determined using the
mid-point of the highest bid and the lowest offer on the Exchange as
of the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV. The records relating
to Bid/Ask Prices will be retained by the Fund and its service
providers.
\22\ Under accounting procedures followed by the Fund, trades
made on the prior business day (``T'') will be booked and reflected
in NAV on the current business day (``T+1''). Accordingly, the Fund
will be able to disclose at the beginning of the business day the
portfolio that will form the basis for the NAV calculation at the
end of the business day.
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On a daily basis, the Adviser will disclose for each portfolio
security and other financial instrument of the Fund the following
information: ticker symbol (if applicable), name of security and
financial instrument, number of securities or dollar value of financial
instruments held in the portfolio, and percentage weighting of the
security and financial instrument in the portfolio. The Fund's
portfolio holdings, including information regarding its option
positions, will be disclosed each day on the Fund's Web site. The Web
site information will be publicly available at no charge.
The NAV per Share for the Fund will be determined once daily as of
the close of the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. E.T., each day the NYSE is
open for trading. NAV per Share will be determined by dividing the
value of the Fund's portfolio securities, cash and other assets
(including accrued interest), less all liabilities (including accrued
expenses), by the total number of Shares outstanding.
Investors can also obtain the Trust's Statement of Additional
Information (``SAI''), the Fund's Shareholder Reports, and its Form N-
CSR and Form N-SAR, filed twice a year. The Trust's SAI and Shareholder
Reports are available free upon request from the Trust, and those
documents and the Form N-CSR and Form N-SAR may be viewed on-screen or
downloaded from the Commission's Web site at www.sec.gov. Information
regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be
continually available on a real-time basis throughout the day on
brokers' computer screens and other electronic services. Information
regarding the previous day's closing price and trading volume
information will be published daily in the financial section of
newspapers. Quotation and last-sale information for the Shares will be
available via the Consolidated Tape Association (``CTA'') high-speed
line. The value of the Index and the values of the OTC put options
components in the Index (which will each be weighted at 1/20 of the
Index value) will be published by one or more major market data vendors
every 15 seconds during the NYSE Arca Core Trading Session of 9:30 a.m.
E.T. to 4:00 p.m. E.T. A list of components of the Index, with
percentage weightings, will be available on the Exchange's Web site.
Each of the stocks underlying the OTC put options in the Index also
will underlie standardized options contracts traded on U.S. options
exchanges, which will disseminate quotation and last-sale information
with respect to such contracts. In addition, the Intraday Indicative
Value will be widely disseminated by one or more major market data
vendors at least every 15 seconds during the Core Trading Session.\23\
The dissemination of the Intraday Indicative Value will allow investors
to determine the value of the underlying portfolio of the Fund on a
daily basis and to provide a close
[[Page 64158]]
estimate of that value throughout the trading day.
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\23\ Currently, it is the Exchange's understanding that several
major market data vendors display and/or make widely available
Intraday Indicative Values taken from the CTA or other data feeds.
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Additional information regarding the Trust and the Shares,
including investment strategies, risks, creation and redemption
procedures, fees, portfolio holdings disclosure policies,
distributions, and taxes is included in the Registration Statement.
Trading Halts
With respect to trading halts, the Exchange may consider all
relevant factors in exercising its discretion to halt or suspend
trading in the Shares of the Fund.\24\ Trading in Shares of the Fund
will be halted if the circuit breaker parameters in NYSE Arca Equities
Rule 7.12 have been reached. Trading also may be halted because of
market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange,
make trading in the Shares inadvisable. These may include: (1) The
extent to which trading is not occurring in the securities comprising
the Fund's portfolio holdings and/or the financial instruments of the
Fund; or (2) whether other unusual conditions or circumstances
detrimental to the maintenance of a fair and orderly market are
present.
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\24\ See NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.12, Commentary .04.
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If the Intraday Indicative Value, the Index value, or the value of
the components of the Index is not available or is not being
disseminated as required, the Exchange may halt trading during the day
in which the disruption occurs; if the interruption persists past the
day in which it occurred, the Exchange will halt trading no later than
the beginning of the trading day following the interruption. The
Exchange will obtain a representation from the Fund that the NAV for
the Fund will be calculated daily and will be made available to all
market participants at the same time. Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes aware that the NAV for the Fund is
not being disseminated to all market participants at the same time, it
will halt trading in the Shares until such time as the NAV is available
to all market participants.
Trading Rules
The Exchange deems the Shares to be equity securities, thus
rendering trading in the Shares subject to the Exchange's existing
rules governing the trading of equity securities. Shares will trade on
the NYSE Arca Marketplace from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. E.T. in
accordance with NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.34 (Opening, Core, and Late
Trading Sessions). The Exchange has appropriate rules to facilitate
transactions in the Shares during all trading sessions. As provided in
NYSE Arca Equities Rule 7.6, Commentary .03, the minimum price
variation (``MPV'') for quoting and entry of orders in equity
securities traded on the NYSE Arca Marketplace is $0.01, with the
exception of securities that are priced less than $1.00 for which the
MPV for order entry is $0.0001.
Surveillance
The Exchange intends to utilize its existing surveillance
procedures applicable to derivative products (which include Investment
Company Units) to monitor trading in the Shares. The Exchange
represents that these procedures are adequate to properly monitor
Exchange trading of the Shares in all trading sessions and to deter and
detect violations of Exchange rules and applicable federal securities
laws.
The Exchange's current trading surveillance focuses on detecting
securities trading outside their normal patterns. When such situations
are detected, surveillance analysis follows and investigations are
opened, where appropriate, to review the behavior of all relevant
parties for all relevant trading violations.
The Exchange may obtain information via the Intermarket
Surveillance Group (``ISG'') from other exchanges that are members of
ISG or with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive
surveillance sharing agreement.\25\
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\25\ For a list of the current members of ISG, see
www.isgportal.org. The Exchange notes that not all components of the
portfolio for the Fund may trade on markets that are members of ISG
or with which the Exchange has in place a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement.
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In addition, the Exchange also has a general policy prohibiting the
distribution of material, non-public information by its employees.
Suitability
Currently, NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a) (Diligence as to
Accounts) provides that an Equity Trading Permit (``ETP'') Holder,
before recommending a transaction in any security, must have reasonable
grounds to believe that the recommendation is suitable for the customer
based on any facts disclosed by the customer as to its other security
holdings and as to its financial situation and needs. Further, the rule
provides, with a limited exception, that prior to the execution of a
transaction recommended to a non-institutional customer, the ETP Holder
must make reasonable efforts to obtain information concerning the
customer's financial status, tax status, investment objectives, and any
other information that such ETP Holder believes would be useful to make
a recommendation.
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders of the suitability requirements of NYSE Arca Equities Rule
9.2(a) in an Information Bulletin (``Bulletin''). Specifically, ETP
Holders will be reminded in the Information Bulletin that, in
recommending transactions in these securities, they must have a
reasonable basis to believe that (1) the recommendation is suitable for
a customer given reasonable inquiry concerning the customer's
investment objectives, financial situation, needs, and any other
information known by such member, and (2) the customer can evaluate the
special characteristics, and is able to bear the financial risks, of an
investment in the Shares. In connection with the suitability
obligation, the Information Bulletin will also provide that members
must make reasonable efforts to obtain the following information: (1)
The customer's financial status; (2) the customer's tax status; (3) the
customer's investment objectives; and (4) such other information used
or considered to be reasonable by such member or registered
representative in making recommendations to the customer.
In addition, FINRA has issued a regulatory notice relating to sales
practice procedures applicable to recommendations to customers by FINRA
members of reverse convertibles, as described in FINRA Regulatory
Notice 10-09 (February 2010) (``FINRA Regulatory Notice'').\26\ As
described above, while the Fund will not invest in traditional reverse
convertible securities, the down and in put options written by the Fund
will have the effect of exposing the Fund to the return of reverse
convertible securities as if the Fund owned such reverse convertible
securities directly. Therefore, the Bulletin will state that ETP
Holders that carry customer accounts should follow the FINRA guidance
set forth in the FINRA Regulatory Notice.
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\26\ The Exchange notes that NASD Rule 2310 relating to
suitability, referenced in the FINRA Regulatory Notice, has been
superseded by FINRA Rule 2111. See FINRA Regulatory Notice 12-25
(May 2012).
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As disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Fund is designed
for investors who seek to obtain income through selling options on
select equity securities which the Index Provider determines to have
the highest volatility. Because of the high volatility of the stocks
underlying the options
[[Page 64159]]
sold by the Fund, it is possible that the value of such stocks will
decline in sufficient magnitude to trigger the exercise of the options
and cause a loss which may outweigh the income from selling such
options. The Registration Statement states that, accordingly, the Fund
should be considered a speculative trading instrument and is not
necessarily appropriate for investors who seek to avoid or minimize
their exposure to stock market volatility. The Exchange's Information
Bulletin regarding the Fund, described below, will provide information
regarding the suitability of an investment in the Shares, as stated in
the Registration Statement.
Information Bulletin
Prior to the commencement of trading, the Exchange will inform its
ETP Holders in the Bulletin of the special characteristics and risks
associated with trading the Shares. Specifically, the Bulletin will
discuss the following: (1) The procedures for purchases and redemptions
of Shares in Creation Units (and that Shares are not individually
redeemable); (2) NYSE Arca Equities Rule 9.2(a), which imposes a duty
of due diligence on its ETP Holders to learn the essential facts
relating to every customer prior to trading the Shares; (3) the risks
involved in trading the Shares during the Opening and Late Trading
Sessions when an updated Intraday Indicative Value will not be
calculated or publicly disseminated; (4) how information regarding the
Intraday Indicative Value is disseminated; (5) the requirement that ETP
Holders deliver a prospectus to investors purchasing newly issued
Shares prior to or concurrently with the confirmation of a transaction;
and (6) trading information.
In addition, the Bulletin will reference that the Fund is subject
to various fees and expenses described in the Registration Statement.
The Bulletin will discuss any exemptive, no-action, and interpretive
relief granted by the Commission from any rules under the Exchange Act.
The Bulletin will also disclose that the NAV for the Shares will be
calculated after 4:00 p.m. E.T. each trading day.
2. Statutory Basis
The basis under the Exchange Act for this proposed rule change is
the requirement under Section 6(b)(5) \27\ that an exchange have rules
that are designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and
practices, to promote just and equitable principles of trade, to remove
impediments to, and perfect the mechanism of a free and open market,
and, in general, to protect investors and the public interest.
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\27\ 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(5).
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The Exchange believes that the proposed rule change is designed to
prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices in that the
Shares will be listed and traded on the Exchange pursuant to the
initial listing criteria in NYSE Arca Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3) and
Commentary .01 thereto and continued listing criteria in NYSE Arca
Equities Rule 5.5(g)(2). The Exchange has in place surveillance
procedures that are adequate to properly monitor trading in the Shares
in all trading sessions and to deter and detect violations of Exchange
rules and applicable federal securities laws. The Exchange may obtain
information via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or
with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. The 20 stocks on which options will be written will
be from a selection of the largest capitalized (over $5 billion in
market capitalization) stocks which also have listed options and which
have the highest volatility, as determined by the Index Provider, and
will be NMS stocks as defined in Rule 600 of Regulation NMS under the
Exchange Act. Each option written by the Fund will be covered through
investments in three month T-Bills at least equal to the Fund's maximum
liability under the option (i.e., the strike price). The Fund will not
invest in non-U.S. equity securities and the Fund's investments will be
consistent with the Fund's investment objective and will not be used to
enhance leverage. FINRA has issued a regulatory notice relating to
sales practice procedures applicable to recommendations to customers by
FINRA members of reverse convertibles, as described in the FINRA
Regulatory Notice, and ETP Holders that carry customer accounts should
follow the FINRA guidance set forth therein. Prior to the commencement
of trading, the Exchange will inform its ETP Holders in an Information
Bulletin of the special characteristics and risks associated with
trading the Shares. The Information Bulletin will state that ETP
Holders that carry customer accounts should follow FINRA guidance set
forth in the FINRA Regulatory Notice.
The proposed rule change is designed to promote just and equitable
principles of trade and to protect investors and the public interest in
that, if the Intraday Indicative Value, the Index value, or the value
of the components of the Index is not available or is not being
disseminated as required, the Exchange may halt trading during the day
in which the disruption occurs; if the interruption persists past the
day in which it occurred, the Exchange will halt trading no later than
the beginning of the trading day following the interruption. The
Exchange will obtain a representation from the Fund that the NAV for
the Fund will be calculated daily and will be made available to all
market participants at the same time. Under NYSE Arca Equities Rule
7.34(a)(5), if the Exchange becomes aware that the NAV for the Fund is
not being disseminated to all market participants at the same time, it
will halt trading in the Shares until such time as the NAV is available
to all market participants. The Fund's portfolio holdings, including
information regarding its option positions, will be disclosed each day
on the Fund's Web site. The Web site information will be publicly
available at no charge. Information regarding market price and trading
volume of the Shares will be continually available on a real-time basis
throughout the day on brokers' computer screens and other electronic
services. Quotation and last-sale information for the Shares will be
available via the CTA high-speed line. The value of the Index and the
values of the OTC put options components in the Index (which will each
be weighted at 1/20 of the Index value) will be published by one or
more major market data vendors every 15 seconds during the NYSE Arca
Core Trading Session of 9:30 a.m. E.T. to 4:00 p.m. E.T. A list of
components of the Index, with percentage weightings, will be available
on the Exchange's Web site. Each of the stocks underlying the OTC put
options in the Index also will underlie standardized options contracts
traded on U.S. options exchanges, which will disseminate quotation and
last-sale information with respect to such contracts. In addition, the
Intraday Indicative Value will be disseminated by one or more major
market data vendors at least every 15 seconds during the NYSE Arca Core
Trading Session.
The proposed rule change is designed to perfect the mechanism of a
free and open market and, in general, to protect investors and the
public interest in that it will facilitate the listing and trading of
an additional type of exchange-traded product that will enhance
competition among market participants, to the benefit of investors and
the marketplace. As noted above, the Exchange has in place surveillance
procedures relating to trading in the Shares and may obtain information
via ISG from other exchanges that are members of ISG or
[[Page 64160]]
with which the Exchange has entered into a comprehensive surveillance
sharing agreement. In addition, as noted above, investors will have
ready access to information regarding the Fund's portfolio holdings,
the Intraday Indicative Value, and quotation and last-sale information
for the Shares.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
The Exchange does not believe that the proposed rule change will
impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate
in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed
Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
No written comments were solicited or received with respect to the
proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for
Commission Action
Within 45 days of the date of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register or within such longer period (i) as the Commission may
designate up to 90 days of such date if it finds such longer period to
be appropriate and publishes its reasons for so finding or (ii) as to
which the self-regulatory organization consents, the Commission will:
(A) By order approve or disapprove the proposed rule change, or
(B) institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule
change should be disapproved.
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
Use the Commission's Internet comment form (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2012-108 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20549-1090.
All submissions should refer to File Number SR-NYSEArca-2012-108. This
file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To
help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently,
please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on
the Commission's Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all
written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are
filed with the Commission, and all written communications relating to
the proposed rule change between the Commission and any person, other
than those that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and
printing in the Commission's Public Reference Section, 100 F Street
NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090, on official business days between 10:00
a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Copies of the filing will also be available for
inspection and copying at the NYSE's principal office and on its
Internet Web site at www.nyse.com. All comments received will be posted
without change; the Commission does not edit personal identifying
information from submissions. You should submit only information that
you wish to make available publicly. All submissions should refer to
File Number SR-NYSEArca-2012-108 and should be submitted on or before
November 8, 2012.
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets,
pursuant to delegated authority.\28\
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\28\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
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Kevin M. O'Neill,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-25598 Filed 10-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P